I'm in shock.How can this be happening?The Alpha is truly standing in front of me. He's in wolf form, but I can see the compassion in his eyes. I see love. And I realize that I was wrong to doubt him. I was foolish to think that he would turn his back and let me die like this.I'm free, but I'm so stunned that I'm not sure what to do about it. I feel the blood pouring out of my shoulder. I feel the pain in my leg. I'm injured, but I don't want to run away. I want to be alone with the Alpha. I want to be alone with him forever.I love him, and he loves me. I know this for sure as soon as I look in his eyes. I see it in his face, in the set of his shoulders, and in the way he steps forward and puts himself between me and the wolves.I turn away from the pack and the guards, and I turn toward the Alpha.He runs toward me, and then he shifts. I watch him as he shifts from a wolf to a man, and then I am in his arms. I am with the man I love. I feel safe in his arms, and I never want
As soon as I hear the news, my blood runs cold. Nicholas-- my Nicholas-- engaged to some rogue outsider?It is a level of rage I've never experienced."Rachel. Rachel, are you alright?" my friend Jessica asks me. I nod, but it's a lie.If Nicholas really marries this Marla girl, I'm not sure I'll ever be alright again. "I need to go," I mutter, standing up."Rachel-- are you sure you're alright?" Jessica asks me.I ignore her questions. The only thing I can think about is getting to the Alpha."I need to see Nicholas," I say, storming out the door."Are you sure you don't want me to give him a message?" she asks. I know she means well, but I just can't think of anything but him. I'm not ready to talk about what's going on with him yet. I'm too raw. I feel like I'm in pieces-- like I'm a jigsaw puzzle that's been destroyed, and I'm working on putting myself back together."Thanks, Jessica," I say, "but I'll be alright.""Are you sure?" she asks. I nod, not trusting my wo
I never thought I would be so lucky as to marry my true mate. After everything that happened with Lucas, I wasn't even sure I believed in true mates anymore.But now I'm here. With Nicholas. And suddenly, everything in the world is right.All of the things I have suffered-- the heartbreak, the betrayal, the banishment, my kidnapping. All of it was worth it because it led me to him.Nicholas has set me up in a small cabin on the edge of the camp. It is to be my home until our wedding day. And even though it is a simple home, it is ten times more beautiful to me than the most luxurious of mansions could ever be because it is a gift from him.I look out through the back door. The forest makes everything seem idyllic. The leaves are crimson and orange, and the sunlight glitters off of them. There's a small stream to my left, and I can see the water moving as the fish swims by. It is beautiful.I wonder about the rest of the camp. Aside from Nicholas's house and the cave they held me
I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say to that. As the words sink in, the color drains from my face."Okay," I say to her. "Let's say this is true. Let's say I believe you. There's got to be something we can do, right? Some way to change it?""No," she says. "I'm sorry. This is how you were meant to be. There is no changing your future."I have to let that sink in for a second. I don't even know what to say. I look out at the water, and it seems to be mocking me now. I can feel it, and it's not nice. It's trying to tell me that I'm about to be consumed in pain, and that it's all going to be my fault."So, you're saying then that I should tell him to forget about me. I shouldn't marry him.""I'm not saying that," she says. I'm not saying anything. But it would be the only way to save his life."And with that, she is gone.I am left sitting on that bench, staring out into the water. I can hear a single bird chirping in the distance. And I can hear my heart pounding in m
Nicholas is silent for a moment. I can tell he's trying to process what I'm saying, but he can't."I don't understand," he says. "It's not you," I say. "It's me. This is all my fault.""Can you be more specific?" he asks. I don't know what to make of his tone."I'm cursed," I say. "I'm bad luck.""Cursed..." he repeats. "I don't understand. You're not making any sense.""I'm sorry," I say. "I don't either. Not really. There's just some stuff I need you to know. And once I tell you, I'm pretty sure you'll hate me and never want to talk to me again, and I'm not sure I can handle that.""You're scaring me, Marla," Nicholas says. "But whatever you have to say, I'm listening.""I can't marry you," I say. "I wish I could, but I can't. It's not fair to you, and I just can’t do it.""What are you saying?" Nicholas asks. "This isn't making any sense. Why can't you marry me?""I'm cursed," I say. "There's a black star hanging over me, and if you marry me, you'll die!""What are you t
NICHOLAS’S POVI don't understand why she's doing this. I don't understand why she's breaking up with me. I don't understand how she can just let me go so easily.I sit in the living room, alone, with my head in my hands, thinking about the words I said to her and the ones she said to meI know she said she was doing it for me. That it was to keep me safe. But I am the alpha. I don't need her to keep me safe. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. But when she said she loved me, it sounded so real. I could feel it. It was coming from her soul. It was coming from her heart.So why did she have to break up with me? Why did she have to make it so final? If she really loved me, she would have fought for me. She would have agreed to work together to find a plan.I can't just let her go like this. I can't just let her walk away without so much as a fight.I feel dead inside. More dead than I ever have before. And I'm mad. I'm mad at her for breaking up with me. I'm mad at
I can't stop crying as I leave Nicholas's house. I know I had to do it. I had to break things off. I couldn't risk him dying because of me.But still, my heart is broken, and I'm not sure anything will ever be able to put it back together again.I keep thinking about that night on the moon. I keep thinking about the way his eyes looked into mine. I keep thinking about the way he held me and kept me safe. I keep thinking about the way he made me feel.I try to remind myself that I'm doing the right thing. I've been trying to analyze this from all angles, and this is what I've decided is the safest decision for everyone.But it doesn't make it any easier.I decide to take a walk through the woods, the narrow path illuminated by the bright moon overhead. I pass by some of the cabins, and I see a few people sitting out on the porches, probably enjoying the night air and the comforting warmth of a roaring fire.I feel so alone. I should feel myself surrounded by my pack, but I don't f
"Can we sit down?" Jessica asks. "Sure."Uncertain what to make of all of this, I open the door and let Jessica come inside. We take a seat on the couch."Did Nicholas ever mention a girl named Rachel?"I shake my head. I can't fathom what this girl is doing here, but I need her to get to the point. And fast."They've been friends since they were kids. Rachel's always been a little bit in love with him.""Can't blame her for that," I say."Well, she's not just in love with him. She's obsessed with him. So when she found out about you, she was pretty upset.""Look, I hope you don't mind, but it's been a long day, and--""Right, I'll get to the point," Jessica says. "Rachel and I have been friends for a long time, and I care about her, but she can't always think straight when it comes to Nicholas. When she found out about you, she was so distraught I was afraid she might do something drastic."Suddenly, I feel a chill run up my spine. I'm not sure where this is going, but some
MARLA’S POVI’m unsure of what to believe and think. My mind is so hazy that I can’t seem to pick out the truth among the lies. And I want to believe in the best of people.I truly want the drama between Rachel and I to be over. I want to put it all in the past and move forward. I want to be happy with Nicholas without all of this nonsense hanging over our heads.Maybe in order to do so, I need to forgive Rachel. And hopefully she’ll let go of all of this. Hopefully she’ll find her own mate some day and leave us alone.Despite all she’s done, I don’t believe anyone is beyond redemption. So, I accept the cupcake.Then, I notice it. Nicholas hesitates in the doorway, hoping Rachel and I are having a moment to make up. But I suddenly don’t think that’s what Rachel wants.As I bring the cupcake to my lips, I see it in her eyes. They’re gleaming. They’re scheming. I hesitate.“You know, I’d hate to eat this alone.” I say, bringing the cupcake down from my mouth and splitting it in
MARLA’S POVI’m in so much pain, my wounds are aching, leaving me delirious. But once Nicholas returns, I feel a bit better. Everything is better when he’s near me. I know he’s my mate, and I want him more than anything. I desperately want him to feel the same way. I can’t imagine living my life without him.Hope flutters within me as I see him though. I see the way he’s looking at me, and it’s almost like he wants me as much as I want him. “I’m so sorry for leaving you,” Nicholas says as he drops down to my side. “It’s okay,” I tell him. “I know you had to go check on Rachel.”My heart aches at the thought of him with her. I can’t let him go, despite how much this all hurts me. I can’t seem to move on from him. He’s my mate and my life won’t be the same without him in it.“Rachel is fine,” Nicholas says. “She was just manipulating me, and I realize she has been manipulating me all along.”Nicholas looks like he’s in pain, and I want to help him. I want to ease him of this b
NICHOLAS’S POVI don't want to leave Marla, but I have to. I can't just refuse to check on Rachel. Plus, Marla's wounds have been tended to. She'll be okay without me. I'm not sure the same can be said for Rachel."I'll be right back," I say.She's too weak to speak, but she squeezes my hand lightly. My heart leaps at her touch."I'll take you to her," the beta says, jolting me back to reality. I take one last look at Marla before standing up to follow him.He takes me to a tree about 100 yards away. I'm surprised to see Rachel sitting up against it. Her jacket has been wrapped around her, and one of the betas is tending to her. He's cleaning her wounds, and he looks up at me and nods."She'll be fine," he says. "The wounds aren't deep. She'll heal in a few days.""Oh," I say, surprised. "That's great."I stare at Rachel, confused. From the way they were speaking, I thought she was dying. I didn't expect her to be so... okay."I can take care of her wounds," I tell the bet
NICHOLAS’S POVI'm fighting the other alpha, and in an instant, I realize he's stronger than me. He's older, and he's more experienced. I'm fighting him even though I know I can't win.I have no choice. I am the alpha, and this is what an alpha does. This is my destiny. I fight hard, slashing and biting at him with my teeth. I'm trying my best to rip him apart, but I know he's doing the same to me. We're not just fighting for control of the land; we're fighting for our lives.And I'm losing. I feel myself getting tired. I'm getting tired, and he's just getting stronger. If this goes on much longer, I'll be dead. I know it.Strangely, though, I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of death. I'm not afraid of the other pack, or of the battle. The only thing that scares me-- the only thing I'm afraid of-- is the thought of never seeing Marla again. And I hate myself for that.And then, suddenly, as if from nowhere, she's here, charging the alpha and telling him to let me go. I can't
The other pack's alpha is huge, even bigger than Nicholas. He looks like he's at least twice his size. He's flanked by several other wolves, and they're all moving quickly.I can hear the sound of their growls growing louder as they approach. They're running full speed towards Nicholas, and I know they mean to attack.I watch as they come closer and closer. I know there's nothing I can do to stop it. And suddenly, I realize that there's a good chance the fight will be fatal.I look at Nicholas, standing there beside Rachel. He's staring straight at the other pack. He looks calm, almost apathetic. His eyes are focused on the alpha, but he doesn't seem too concerned.He's confident he can handle this. But he shouldn't be. I can't take my eyes off of him. I wish I could know what's going through his mind, but I know I can't. I'm so afraid for him."These woods are off-limits," the alpha of the other pack growls. "You know that."I'm surprised at the sound of his voice. It's deep,
I have to talk to Nicholas. I know he said he doesn't want to talk to me, but I have to. I have to make him hear me.I can't let him marry Rachel. I just can't. Not after the way she's lied and manipulated him. Manipulated both of us. Even if he wasn't my true mate, I wouldn't be able to just stand by and watch it happen.But he is my true mate. He's the love of my life. He's the man I've always been waiting for. And I know that he'd be happy if he could just get rid of her. If he could just let go of his stupid pride for a minute and take me back.But he won't. I know it. I know he'll do the right thing and marry her-- not because he wants to, but because he said he would. I know his sense of duty will force him to do it.But I can't let him. He doesn't need to do it. I can make him happy. I know I can. I just have to get him away from her. And to do that, I just need him to agree to talk to me.The problem is, I don't know how. I just need him to know it. I just need him to kn
RACHEL’S POVHe's thinking about Marla again. I can tell. And it's infuriating.I know I came in here and gave him the 'let her go' talk. But I was expecting it to work. I was expecting him to at least be able to have a conversation with me about it. But instead, he just let me ramble on about what I wanted for our wedding and what I thought we should do. He didn't even really pay attention. He agreed with everything, but I can tell that his mind was wandering.That's not fair to me."I'm trying to be understanding," I say. "Really, I am. But we're getting married, and you're just sitting here thinking about another woman.""I'm not--" he says."You are!" I insist. "And I don't understand how you can be so upset over her. I mean, she has done nothing but lie to you."Nicholas clears his throat. "I know. I know exactly what she's done. She's--""But you love her," I say quietly."Yes," he says. "I don't want to, but I do."I let out a deep breath. I don't know what to say.
NICHOLAS’S POVI want to run after. I know I shouldn't. Not after what she did to me. Marla broke my heart. But I love her.I wish I didn't. I wish I could just forget about her. I wish my heart didn't beat faster every time she says my name.But it does.I walk into my bedroom and close the door. I need to clear my head.She had no right to come here. To confuse me like this. She said we were done. She said that. It was her decision, and nothing I said was going to change her mind.And I begged her. Me. The Alpha. I begged her. And that is not what Alpha's do.And then she has the never to waltz in here and just expect me to forgive her. To let this go.It's outrageous. It's an absolutely ridiculous request. But I want to fulfill it.And that makes me angrier than anything.I'm not sure what to do. I can't think straight. I remember the times I've been here with her and I get so frustrated thinking about how I can't have that again. I loved her. And despite everything, des
I'm not sure how long I've been running, but I can't seem to get very far. The woods are dense and difficult to navigate. I've gotten turned around a few times, become completely lost and had to backtrack. I'm covered head to toe in mud, and I feel like I've been running for hours, though I'm pretty sure it's only been a few minutes.But I feel like I'm close now. I can hear the stream and I see the trees rising up ahead. I'm practically sprinting by the time I reach the cabin, and my heart is beating out of my chest. I throw open the door, ready to find a way to prove that Rachel paid this woman to cast a spell on me, but instead I find the house completely empty. I don't see any sign of the sorceress at all. I search everywhere. I even go into the cellar. The whole place looks abandoned. There is no sign of her anywhere. And based on how empty the place is, there's no indication she's ever coming back either.Which means I have no proof. No proof of Rachel's betrayal. No proo